Those Wacky Libertarians to invade New Hampshire

ixnay · October 1, 2003, 20:14

Apparently the Free State Project has decided on which state they want to invade:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/...053062,00.html

Quote:

Free staters' pick New Hampshire to liberate for sex, guns and drugs

Fringe activists hope to infiltrate vote and set up a breakaway minimalist government

Joanna Walters in New York
Wednesday October 1, 2003
The Guardian

A libertarian movement promoting "minimalist government", the free market, drugs, prostitution and gun ownership plans to infiltrate New Hampshire to create a breakaway American regime, its leaders will announce today.

The Free State Project, which has supporters in the UK and worldwide, will reveal today at a meeting in New York that its members have voted for the small but highly-symbolic north-eastern state as its target to win power.

Project chiefs will now try to persuade 20,000 people to move to New Hampshire and sway the electorate towards blocking federal "nanny" laws and social restrictions.

Jason Sorens, a lecturer in political science at Yale University and president of the project, said he wants to create an "autocratic territory" and the Free State Project will follow the examples of the Mormons in Utah, the French separatists in Quebec, Canada, and the conservative Amish religious communities.

Political sceptics have dismissed the project as the fringe cult fantasies of a disorganised shower of anarchists and internet geeks.

But Professor Sorens claims membership is soaring as people become angry over increasing restrictions on personal freedom, government surveillance of private individuals and greater state power in the justice system.

Membership of the Free State Project rocketed after an article in Playboy this year.

"I think that was a good place to find people who are socially tolerant and wary of government regulation over private behaviour," Prof Sorens said yesterday.

The FSP argues that civil government should exist only to protect life, liberty, and property. Individuals are free to do as they please, provided it does not harm others.

In a "Free State", that would translate as a green light for casinos, brothels, cocaine farms and gun supermarkets. Leaders would also do away with seatbelt laws, limits on gay marriage and most taxes.

"The classical liberal philosophy has a long and respectable pedigree. We see ourselves as a kind of chamber of commerce, promoting the state as somewhere where people will come and live freely and do business," he said.

Schools and hospitals would be entirely privatised. Prof Sorens sees new New Hampshire as having economic parallels with Singapore and Hong Kong, and social parallels to the tolerant Netherlands.

New Hampshire's state motto is already "Live free or die".

A ballot last week had members choosing from a shortlist of 10 states, each chosen on the basis that the FSP had calculated the populations were low enough and federal influence weak enough that moving 20,000 members there would give enough leverage to sway the state legislature.

Wyoming came second in the ballot. Other states on the list included Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Vermont and the Dakotas.

Members must agree to move to the chosen state.

But the New Hampshire Democratic chairwoman, Kathy Sullivan, said she considered the project "sort of a very fringe group that can best be described as anarchists".

A British member, Matthew Hurry, a 24-year-old computer technician from Brighton, was already preparing to move to the chosen state.

"It's one of the few good ideas I've seen actually put into practice with a good chance of success. Freedom is important for people, and the western world is severely lacking in it," he said.

But Francis Tyers, a 20-year-old University of Wales student, who studies in Aberystwyth but is currently on placement with the computer giant Hewlett Packard in Ireland, said Alaska would have been his first choice. "I specified on my membership form that I would move when they had legalised the cultivation of marijuana. I'm hoping that this will be one of the first things on their agenda. And secession from the United States would be great," he said.

It is this kind of radical idea that Prof Sorens emphasises is not the FSP's main thrust. "We have no wish to alienate the people of New Hampshire. We want to win them over," he said.

James Maynard, one of 150 project members who already live in New Hampshire, is currently campaigning as a Libertarian to try to win a council seat in the Keene city elections in November.

"The FSP is a mix of common sense ideas and "thinking out of the box". Within the framework of a real-life state and local politics, a group will not be afraid to try new things and take lessons from the business world to bring New Hampshire a smaller, less expensive, more accountable government," he said.

Project members are mostly men and in their 20s and 30s. Many own small businesses and half of them have a university degree, with 18% possessing doctorates and 40% earning more than £40,000 a year.

Though the tone this article is written with is a little over the top ("fringe", "breakaway", "regime"), it'll be interesting to see if this works or not (my money is on the latter choice). All I can say for now is thank goodness they didn't decide on Montana.

edit: Here's the official press release: http://freestateproject.org/nhrelease.htm

Lincoln · October 1, 2003, 20:32

What are they going to do when their kids turn into crack dealers? Oh, I guess that's what the guns are for...

Sandman · October 1, 2003, 20:47

I actually think it will work, for a while at least. A nice little parasitic state.

SKILORD · October 1, 2003, 20:54

Well, Lincoln, I would imagine that these people believe themselves sufficiently able to raise children that they would not be enticed to deal (Or use) drugs.

Or we could just have it our way, where the kids deal drugs anyway and they might be shot at for the cops or by gangsters for it

. Maybe they'll sell pot outta gas stations (Like Cigarettes or Beer) (We haven't seen armed struggle over alcahol in the US since..... Prohibition)

Lincoln · October 1, 2003, 21:10

Actually I would prefer living in a libertarian society than the other extreme. I do think that guns would be a necessity though. There are too many people who can't leave their neighbors alone.

Drake Tungsten · October 1, 2003, 21:12

Anime Strongbad is still gay, Skilord.

Bosh · October 1, 2003, 21:15

Quote:

But the New Hampshire Democratic chairwoman, Kathy Sullivan, said she considered the project "sort of a very fringe group that can best be described as anarchists".

Hey! Get away from our nice fuzzy label, get! Bad enough that the Libs have turned "Libertarian" into a right- wing label, but we've got to draw a line here

Berzerker · October 1, 2003, 21:19

How's the golfing in New Hampshire?

David Floyd · October 1, 2003, 21:21

Yeah I saw this earlier...once I get out of school, if this thing actually happens, I might consider moving...

SKILORD · October 1, 2003, 21:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Anime Strongbad is still gay, Skilord.

Actually the anime version looks pretty cool, and I never heard you comment on the old school strongbad.

I am trying to find something better (he gets old, even to me) if that makes you feel better. I just changed it to anime because I didn't want to deal with the old school one anymore.

Drake Tungsten · October 1, 2003, 21:23

I'm just kidding, dawg. Anime Strongbad is the shiznit.

H Tower · October 1, 2003, 21:24

The first thought that came to my mind when I read 20,000 people would be moving to New Hampshire was to buy land there to sell at a higher price when everyone wants to move in

Skanky Burns · October 1, 2003, 21:34

It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

St Leo · October 1, 2003, 21:53

blocking federal "nanny" laws

and social restrictions.

Berzerker · October 1, 2003, 21:59

That's the problem Leo, if you want the nanny laws, then you get the social restrictions too. Once you get what you want from government, everyone else gets to try and have their agenda pushed through and you lack the moral authority to tell them "no".

Dr Strangelove · October 1, 2003, 22:08

I don't think that 20,000 immigrants will be enough to sway the whole state over to the Libertarian way of life, particularily if you're honest about your game plan. When I lived in New Hampshire 20+ years ago most of the population was definitely anti-drug and anti-prostitution. Also bringing Brits and Aussies with you isn't going to help much because they won't be able to vote until they're naturalized, which will take 5 to 7 years.

St Leo · October 1, 2003, 22:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Berzerker
That's the problem Leo, if you want the nanny laws, then you get the social restrictions too. Once you get what you want from government, everyone else gets to try and have their agenda pushed through and you lack the moral authority to tell them "no".

Yeah, yeah, whatever. My country's well on its way on chucking out the social absurdities and I believe the l-tarians would consider certain aspects of her to be "nannyish".

Gatekeeper · October 2, 2003, 04:33

Human nature pretty much ensures that the Free State Project will meet, in due time, with utter and abject failure. One person's freedom is another person's slavery, it seems.

Gatekeeper

P.S. I see my home state came in 9th out of 10 possible destinations for the Free Staters. I'm embarrassed that we were edged out by Alaska of all places!

Berzerker · October 2, 2003, 05:11

Quote:

One person's freedom is another person's slavery, it seems.

The politics of envy

Az · October 2, 2003, 05:26

Cool. I actually like this A LOT.

Ben Kenobi · October 2, 2003, 12:49

Quote:

and the conservative Amish religious communities.

The amish aren't libertarian! They would support social restrictions bans on prostitution, drugs and guns. Do they really want a state based on what the Amish believe?

Q Classic · October 2, 2003, 12:58

they can have new hampshire.

that's an utterly useless state anyhow.

SKILORD · October 2, 2003, 19:55

Quote:

One person's freedom is another person's slavery, it seems.

Slavery only to your own best interest.

The project will fail, there is no doubt. I wish I could believe in it's sucess, but I cannot.

I think they should have done Alaska

.

OzzyKP · October 2, 2003, 20:59

Quote:

Originally posted by H Tower
The first thought that came to my mind when I read 20,000 people would be moving to New Hampshire was to buy land there to sell at a higher price when everyone wants to move in

Now you're talking like a true libertarian.

I am hopeful it will happen. I am a Free State Project member and New Hampshire was my first choice, so I'm glad it won. You just can't top their slogan, "Live Free or Die" perfect libertarian statement.

I hope you move up David, you too Berz. There is a real chance to move the country forward with this. I like New Hampshire because not only is it libertarian leaning to begin with, but as the state with the earliest primaries it has a great chance for national influence.

It doesn't even need the full 20,000. An additional 1,000 or 5,000 activists in a small state would have a tremendous influence on local politics. Going with the assumption that anyone willing to move across country to a state for their beliefs will be more than a passive voter, a few die hard activists could make a large impact on the state.

Rock on Porcupines!

Berzerker · October 2, 2003, 21:16

Ben -

Quote:

The amish aren't libertarian! They would support social restrictions bans on prostitution, drugs and guns. Do they really want a state based on what the Amish believe?

The author wasn't saying the Amish are libertarians, he was referring to their semi-autonomous region like the Mormons in Utah. These people carved out little hamlets to practice their beliefs and that is what the author is suggesting for libertarians.

Dr Strangelove · October 2, 2003, 21:20

I think you guys are seriously underestimating how socially conservative the people of New Hampshire are. They'll never go for legalized prostitution or drugs.

OzzyKP · October 2, 2003, 21:26

Well I'm hoping the Free Staters will have some sense and not make heroine legalization their first agenda item. I'm sure they'll have many projects to work on before legalizing prostitution and hard drugs. But then again, they are libertarians.... so I may be wrong.

Rex Little · October 3, 2003, 02:02

I grew up outside Boston, not too far south of New Hampshire. I moved to a better climate (California) many years ago and never thought about going back. This is the one thing that would tempt me.

Buck Birdseed · October 3, 2003, 02:20

You americans are all crazy. Who'd want a libertarian state except the super-rich who're the only benefitees?

Berzerker · October 3, 2003, 02:23

Quote:

I think you guys are seriously underestimating how socially conservative the people of New Hampshire are. They'll never go for legalized prostitution or drugs

True, they're much closer to libertarian values on fiscal matters than socially. But the state is small enough that an influx of libertarians could sway some elections. NH has elected, precentage wise, more libertarians than any other state and that's without a significant influx of motivated libertarians.